


keys to my heart

by haleofStilesheart



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Awkward Castiel, Canon Compliant, Eight Year Plan, First Kiss, Flirting, Getting Together, Jealous Dean, Jealousy, M/M, Oblivious Castiel, Post-Season/Series 11, antiques
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-23
Updated: 2017-09-23
Packaged: 2019-01-04 12:32:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,928
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12168951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/haleofStilesheart/pseuds/haleofStilesheart
Summary: They had just finished a case in Snohomish, Washington and were unwinding after a week's worth of running around town looking for cursed objects in a local bar when the guy walked over to their table.The guy who started shamelessly flirting with Cas and messing up Dean's eight year plan to woo said angel.





	keys to my heart

**Author's Note:**

> To be honest, I'm not really sure where the idea for this fic came from. It was like 1 a.m. and I thought about how Cas would react to getting hit on while Dean was sitting there getting jealous as hell. Here we are! I hope y'all enjoy it!

They had just finished a case in Snohomish, Washington and were unwinding after a week's worth of running around town looking for cursed objects in a local bar when the guy walked over to their table.

Apparently Snohomish was the antique capital of the northwest which made their search for a collection of objects that a witch had cursed before fleeing the country. While Cas had been rather content to patter around town inspecting everything from antique lamps to ancient hope chests, Dean had been more impatient.

There had been only two upsides to the whole case, the day that they got to check out a classic car show just in case the witch had cursed one of the vehicles and the fact that no one had actually purchased any of the cursed items.

A single wave of Cas' hand and the objects were as good as new, perfectly suitable for purchase. The fur stole made of sable would no longer skin its buyer alive and the sewing kit would not overwhelm anyone with the urge to gouge out their eyes and sew their mouths shut.

Cas had calmly explained the curses associated with all of the objects as they had strolled out of the umpteenth antique store they had visited that week. Both Sam and Dean had winced at some of the curses, especially the one involved with the mostly naked tchotchke of a busty blonde pinup girl.

They had bought a few little trinkets, that Cas had assured them were not cursed, in order to not look suspicious. Wandering around an antique store for two hours, clearly looking for something, before leaving empty handed wasn't easily overlooked.

Especially not by the little old lady behind the front counter who had watched the three of them like a hawk during their search. Dean hadn't been sure if she was just curious, worried they were going to steal something, or a homophobic baby boomer trying to figure out who was sleeping with who in their little trio.

For the record, the answer was nobody was sleeping with anybody. Not yet, anyway.

He was still working on his eight year plan to woo a certain blue eyed angel. It wasn't really working all that well so far but Dean was nothing if not persistent.

He preferred that description over stubborn son of a bitch which was admittedly more accurate.

So they had left the antique store with useless little baubles that would probably get lost amongst the rest of the crap in the Bunker.

Sam had predictably picked out an old leather bound book written in a language he didn't even speak, let alone read. He had simply shrugged and asked Cas, their friendly neighbor polyglot, if he could help him learn it.

Dean had selected an old canine tooth hanging off a leather cord, assuming the tooth had once belonged to a lion or tiger. Cas had shortly thereafter informed him that it was a manticore's tooth, earning an impressed whistle from the hunter who had run his thumb over the chunk of bone.

Cas' choice was hands down the oddest of the afternoon. After narrowing his eyes and wandering through the different sections of the antique shop, Cas had finally settled on a small leather pouch full of keys, half of which were broken or bent.

At Dean and Sam's questioning looks, Cas had followed Sam's earlier example and shrugged. He explained he simply thought they were interesting and that was the end of the conversation.

After packing into the Impala, they had driven downtown to cozy little bar called _the Trophy Room_ because everything in Snohomish just had to do with antiques. Hell, the bar even had a cocktail menu full of drinks bearing antiques-related names.

Naturally, while Sam and Dean ordered beers, Cas gave in to curiosity and requested a 50's Cadillac cocktail. It arrived in a martini glass with a wedge of lime and a bright smile from their waitress who kept making googly eyes at Sam.

It was while Dean was joking about staying in town for another night so Sam could get his rocks off with the pretty brunette who was clearly enamored with him that the guy strode across the bar to their table.

He was dressed in a suit, his outfit mirroring Cas' almost exactly save for his lack of a tie and trench coat and the addition of cubic zirconia studded cufflinks. His black hair was slicked back with about a jar and a half's worth of hair gel.

His face was gaunt, high cheekbones accentuating the fact. He had dark eyes, probably brown or hazel, in stark contrast to his pale skin.

He was probably some sort of office worker, a manager or chief officer of marketing or finances judging by the way he walked. He kept his held high, chin raised while he maintained perfect posture, shoulders squared.

He was good-looking in an unremarkable way. The kind of guy that Dean wouldn't have been able to pick out of a line-up with a gun to his head.

"You know..." he drawled as he set his elbow on the table, standing beside Cas. It was obvious that he only had eyes for the angel, not even bothering to acknowledge Sam and Dean as he continued, "I think I just saw the most handsome man I've ever seen in my life."

Cas just blinked a few times and narrowed his eyes in confusion as he looked at the other man. It was clear that he had no idea why a complete stranger was addressing him so casually, no doubt trying to figure out if the man was some sort of supernatural creature.

Dean muffled a laugh with a forced cough before taking another sip of his beer, leaning back to watch how things would unfold. Business guy would throw out a couple of pick-up lines, Cas would shut him down, and he would go running back to the bar with his tail tucked between his legs.

"I suppose congratulations are in order," Cas stated matter of factly before raising his glass to his lips and taking another sip of his frou-frou drink. After finishing it, he met the other man's eyes and calmly said, "Congratulations."

But Mr. Business Suit didn't take the easy out. Instead, he smiled a bit and pointed at something over Cas' shoulder, urging, "Yeah, y'know, if you look now you'll see him right there."

As expected, Cas turned his head to peer at whatever the still unnamed man was pointing at. The trio of hunters were seated at a table directly next to a wall.

A wall of mirrors. Dean immediately saw what the guy was aiming for, moderately impressed.

Cas squinted at his reflection, tipping his head to the side in contemplation. Dean was suddenly reminded of all those YouTube videos of kittens staring at their reflections, biting his tongue to refrain from making the comparison aloud.

"I don't understand," Cas announced as he turned back to Dean, looking to him for answers. It kindled a warm, butterflies-in-the-stomach feeling in him that he was the go-to source of reference when it came to humans and all the confusion that went along with the species.

But it turned out, his endless wellspring of knowledge concerning all things human wasn't needed. A moment later, Cas answered his own unspoken question, murmuring, "I just see me."

Taking pity on the poor guy, or rather poor angel, Dean snorted and explained, "He's flirting with you, Cas."

"Oh," Cas said simply, nodding to himself. A moment later his confusion was back twofold as he frowned and glanced between Business Suit and Dean, inquiring, "What should I do?"

Dean opened his mouth to tell Cas that he already knew what to do when he realized that Cas didn't. He had very little experience with flirting.

Sure, Meg had flirted with him any time the two were in the same general vicinity but he highly doubted that counted. Cas had probably only seen her flirtatious remarks and sexual innuendos as taunts from a piece of demon hellspawn.

And besides that admittedly passionate kiss the two had shared, that Cas had already explained had only been due to him following the example set by the porn he had watched earlier, there had been no hint of any true romantic interest or chemistry between them.

Sure, there had been a few people who complimented Cas' undeniably good looks. But half the time their comments were made when Cas was nowhere in sight or earshot.

Besides, compliments weren't flirtations unless there was intent behind them.

And Dean highly doubted that fucking reaper had bothered to flirt with Cas before tricking him into sleeping with her. Just the thought made Dean's blood boil all over again.

So, no. Cas didn't have any experience with flirting, let alone how to respond to it.

Apparently, Dean took too long to advise Cas because the next thing he knew, Business Suit was curling a hand around Cas' wrist and explaining, "You should come over to the bar with me. Let me buy you another drink. See how things go."

A few seconds later, Cas and Business Suit were across the room, sitting down at the bar. Dean blinked, still trying to process what he had just witnessed, before turning to Sam and demanding, "What the hell just happened?"

"I...have no idea," Sam admitted, looking rather taken aback himself. Their waitress passed their table, making eyes at the younger of the two brothers again.

Like a loyal puppy, Sam was on his feet a second later to trail after her. He clapped Dean on the arm before disappearing after her, mumbling, "Lauren gets off work in five minutes. Don't wait up."

It took Dean another few minutes to realize that he had been stuck with the fucking check.

* * *

For the next fifteen minutes, Dean glared at Business Suit's back as he threw back another shot of whiskey. He had switched to the hard stuff after another beer.

He needed considering the shitshow that was his day. His replacement waitress, an engaged woman with short black hair and a name tag proclaiming her name to be Harmony, seemed understanding.

Cas and Business Suit seemed pretty chummy, sitting right beside each other at the bar, their arms pressed together. Business Suit was tossing back shots of cheap vodka while Cas had ordered another fancy cocktail.

It wasn't a Cadillac that time, instead the drink in his hand looked like an Old Fashioned. He kept fiddling with the twist of citrus rind floating in the dark liquid.

He seemed to be enjoying himself though Dean wasn't sure if that made him feel better or worse. Already there was that horrible feeling of jealousy burning him alive from the inside out.

It intensified every time he saw Cas smiling or laughing at something Business Suit said or did, like a stabbing pain in the chest. Every time Business Suit reached over to fuss with Cas' tie or brush an imaginary eyelash off his cheek.

It was driving Dean crazy, having to watch the angel he had been ass over ankles in love with for the past eight years getting schmoozed by some yuppie asshole. But he didn't know what else could do.

He couldn't march over there and break the two apart. Not without Cas questioning his motives and Dean having to come up with some sort of bullshit excuse that Cas would immediately see through.

He had considered faking an emergency but that would just make Cas worry. And Dean wasn't in the mood to get smited for lying to an angel.

He had also thought about just leaving and returning to their motel room. Cas had his wings again thanks to good old Chuck, he could find his way back.

Besides, with the way Business Suit was getting all touchy feely with Cas who didn't seem to mind all that much, the angel might not even return to the motel room that night. And didn't that make Dean want to throw up his lunch?

He was stuck between a rock and a hard place with nowhere to go. To think, he hadn't thought the hunt could get any worse.

He had just wanted to unwind with a few beers, maybe stop at some hole in the wall diner for a couple burgers, not watch some douchebag get all handsy with his angel.

Ugh, he needed another drink.

He waved Harmony down as she walked by his table, pointing emphatically at his glass of whiskey with a desperate pout. She nodded back at him with a friendly wink and an encouraging thumbs up before she disappeared into the crowd.

He turned his attention back to Business Suit who was in the middle of the old yawn truck, curling his arm around Cas' shoulders. Dean bristled.

Cas deserved better than that kind of cliche move. It was better suited for high school kids on first dates than angels who had saved the world a dozen times over.

Cas deserved genuinely romantic stuff like red roses and chocolate covered strawberries and bubble baths. Shit like that.

And yes, Dean realized that he was being a selfish idiot since he had never given Cas any of those things in the eight years they had known each other. But he wanted to. More than anything.

But that couldn't happen if Business Suit ended up charming his way into Cas' pants before Dean could.

He was in the middle of thinking about how much he would absolutely love to kick that prick's ass when Harmony returned, setting a glass down in front of him. He frowned at her, complaining, "Aww, c'mon. Water? Really?"

"Trust me," she informed him, crossing her arms over her chest while leveling him with a no nonsense look. "You need it, hon. Can't go confessing your undying love to Blue Eyes over there if you're drunk off your ass."

"How...?" Dean mumbled, narrowing his eyes at the waitress.

Harmony just shrugged and flashed her engagement ring at him, the large diamond glinting in the lights of the bar. Smiling to herself, she casually explained, "Me and my fiancee have had our fair share of rough patches. Hell, she thought she was straight when we first met. Keep your chin up, things will work out."

With that, she turned and walked away to take someone else's order, leaving Dean with his thoughts. Talk about irony. Or was it just a coincidence?

Whatever. Either way, Harmony's words struck a chord deep within him.

He nodded to himself as he raised his glass to his lips to take a long sip of ice cold water. Leaning back to get more comfortable, Dean just waited.

As it turned out, he didn't have to wait long. A few minutes later, Cas abruptly stood from the bar.

He turned on his heel and stalked back over to Dean's table, helping himself to the seat across from him and the glass of whiskey that still held a few sips of liquor. Dean waited patiently for some sort of explanation, glancing over at Business Suit who looked rather taken aback himself.

When Cas said nothing, even after he took the liberty of polishing off the whiskey, Dean took the initiative himself. "So... How'd that go?"

"I don't think I enjoy flirting," Cas relayed with a solemn nod. Tapping his fingers against the side of the whiskey glass, he amended, "Then again, I may not have done it correctly."

"Alright. Keep going," Dean instructed, gesturing for Cas to continue. "I'm all ears, man."

"Eric complimented me. Frequently. But it seemed rather insincere," Cas reported. "Our conversation switched topics to antiques. I told him about the bag of keys I selected at the last shop."

"Oh, yeah?" Dean hummed before taking another sip of water. "What'd he think about that?"

Cas hunched his shoulders, still fiddling with the empty glass. His voice was gruffer than usual as he explained, "He told me that I would be better off selling them for scrap metal. That they're useless trinkets and their only value is sentimental."

"I'm guessing you disagree," Dean observed. Cas just nodded.

"Admittedly, the keys do not hold much monetary value but I don't understand why that matters. That's not why I like them," Cas claimed, his brows knitting together. "They hold memories, secrets, of those who once owned them. They may have locked journals or jewelry boxes, guarded family documents or heirlooms. They still do. They're _human._ That's why I like them."

The explanation was so enthusiastic, so passionate. So much thought and care and attention put into the answer. It was so like Cas it nearly took Dean's breath away.

The next thing he knew, he was leaning across the table to press a quick, chaste kiss to Cas' lips. A dopey grin was stretched across his face when he sat back, Cas blinking at him, incredulous.

"Dean...?" The angel whispered, his words nearly inaudible. "Why did you do that?"

"Well, to be honest, Cas, I'm not really sure," Dean admitted a little breathlessly. Running his hand through his hair, he made sure to tack on, "But I do know it's long overdo."

"Oh," Cas murmured, his cheeks actually flushing with color. "Then I suppose this is, as well."

And with that, Cas grabbed Dean by his tie and tugged him into a kiss that they both smiled into. As for Business Suit, it was his turn to be jealous.

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on Tumblr [here,](url) maybe send me a prompt or two!


End file.
